A Comparative Study of the Conflict of "Gender" and "Subordination" in the Two Novels of Vacant Place of Soluch from Mahmoud Dolat-abadi and Alley of Madagh from Najib Mahfouz

 
 

Introduction

The connection of contemporary fiction literature with the political, social, economic and cultural events of the society is a deep and unbreakable connection, and the presence of British and American colonialists in the countries of Iran and Egypt has caused the writers of these countries to be influenced by the political event of their societies and to get rid of the domination of the colonizers, should fight against them by writing post-colonial novels. The writing of post-colonial novels "suggests the literary commitment of the works and different angles of the texts in the struggle for the establishment of domination." The novel can introduce the audience to post-colonial literature and show the direct and indirect presence of the colonizers, their goals and consequences in the lives of the colonized people. Mahmoud Dolatabadi and Najib Mahfouz are prominent writers of contemporary Iranian and Egyptian literature who lived in the colonial and post-colonial eras and have lived and real experiences from this era. They have included the spirit of the post-colonial era in their novels and recreated that era in their novels; The purpose of the current research is to compare the conflict of "gender" and "subordination" in two novels, Daulatabadi's Empty Place of Seluch and Alley of Medagh from Mahfouz, emphasizing Spivak's views.
 

Methodology

The school of American comparative literature is young and necessarily more flexible than other schools. In this school, not only the issue of interlinguistics has become less important; Rather, culture-centeredness and sociology have replaced the issue of influence and genealogy of texts from each other, and thematics, description and imagery of texts and paying attention to the cultural spirit of texts have become more important. Spivak himself is one of the founders of the "Institute of Comparative Literature and Society" in America. Society, inferiority, culture and gender are among the most important topics he considers. In the following article, an attempt has been made to evaluate and judge the two novels, The Vacancy of Seluch and Alley of Madaq, from the perspective of American adaptation literature, with an emphasis on culture, society, theme and image, description, gender and inferiority intended by Spivak.
 

Discussion

Dolatabadi tries to show the voice of womens from the story. Women who have been deprived of their rights due to the rule of the patriarchal system. Some characters such as Zan Sardar and Zan Karbalai Dushanbe are not present in the novel and the author tries to reflect their voices through other characters. Sardar's wife goes to her family with her relatives when her husband goes to the city and never returns. Sardar's wife had run away from him. Not today, twenty years ago. Sardar's behavior with her was very disgusting and humiliating and..." They slandered the second woman of Karbalai Dushanbe that she was pregnant before marriage, that's why her husband kicked her out. Karbalai Dushanbe says: "I beat the girl like an animal and kicked her out. She also hugged her child in the winter cold and went out." What is the meaning of such behavior from a girl...? These two women are oppressed women who are forced to leave the family because of insecurity. Here, inferiority is completely related to gender and the patriarchal system, and women are more involved with the issue of inferiority and marginality than other social strata. Dolat-Abadi in the conflicts and adventures he creates, he has given power and the opportunity to speak to the native subjugated people, and in this way, he has narrated the true situation of the oppressed in order to raise awareness. Mahfouz has depicted the theory of "double colonization" and "subjugation" of Spivak's Third World women in the character of Hamida and other women. Mahfouz reflects the voice of the women and residents of Madaq Alley. The accurate description of women's position in the Madagh’s Alley novel shows that Najib Mahfouz has been able to be the voice of the women of his society. Because the British colonialists violated them and exploited their bodies. Understanding the direct rule of foreign colonialists as well as the rule of the patriarchal cultural, political and economic system has made Najib Mahfouz able to portray the position of women better and more accurately than Doulat-Abadi. Mahfouz echoes the voices of poor Egyptian girls in Faraj Ebrahim's school; Girls who live in a colonized society have to endure double colonization. They were anxious and sad; They felt hopeless and suffered; Because they had to feed their families through illicit relationships. Girls who, contrary to their appearance, had a heart full of blood and wished to live a pure life. There were many girls who were bothered by anxiety. A group had sadness in their hearts and greed and a feeling of despair and destitution. They suffered to feed their families. The poor people who, under the color and glamor of their appearance, had a bloody heart and wished for a pure and dignified life.
Daulatabadi and Najib Mahfouz have shown the agency of women through employment and escape. Women's agency here is based on inferiority and to get rid of inferiority. They have to be strong and active. Subordinate women in novel of Seluch Vacant Place have higher agency and activity; Maintaining survival and trying to continue life makes them active and resistant. Although the direct cultural, political and economic dominance of the colonialists in the Madagh Alley novel has led to the direction and limitation of women's agency and has forced women into menial jobs such as prostitution; but in novel of Seluch Vacancy, Mergan makes a living with honorable jobs.
It can be said that in both novels, culture, as the infrastructure and bedrock of social life, not only fills the gaps and bio-social confrontations; rather, it regulates the compatibility and behavioral relations of women and subordinates. Culture, with its means of expression and effective agency, can apply fundamental conditions on the identity of women, so that it can impose a gender nature with specific standards and norms on women.
 
4.Conclusion
Women in Seluch Vacant Place have more agency than women in Madaq Alley; Because Iranian women have not directly experienced colonialism. The direct cultural, political, and economic dominance of foreign colonialism in the Madagh Alley novel has made the agency of subordinate women in it to be weaker. Egyptian women engage in menial jobs such as prostitution; however, in Seluch Vacant Place, colonization is more of a cultural and internal type of colonization, so that it can be said that Mergan makes a living with honorable jobs. In the novel Madagh Alley, Hajar agrees to a forced marriage because he is a child and does not have the necessary agency; moreover, foreign colonialism has defined and determined the nature and identity of women as other and marginal. Daulat-Abadi tries more than Najib Mahfouz to change the common mentality of the patriarchal system about the impotence of women in their societies. Daulatabadi's goal is to change the cultural mentality of his audience about the identity and nature of Iranian women; But the goal of Najib Mahfouz is to show the sovereignty and the direct influence of tyranny and foreign colonialism in determining living standards.
     The cultural, political, and economic dominance of foreign colonizers over Foroodistan is greater in the Madaq Alley novel than in Seluch Vacant Place; Because the interaction between the colonizer and the colonized in Koche Madaq's novel is experimental, direct and indirect. In this novel, gender discrimination can be seen more prominently; Because women's bodies are exploited by native and British colonialists.